HubSpot Service Hub3CXHubSpot Service Hub vs 3CX

HubSpot Service Hub vs 3CX: five seats for $75 or $0

A CRM-based help desk against a business phone system with live chat: 3CX is $75 a month cheaper for five people. The six differences, what five people pay on each, and a third option.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick HubSpot Service Hub if your sales and marketing already live in HubSpot and support should share the CRM. Pick 3CX if phone is your main channel and you want chat and WhatsApp to ring the same agents. For five people, 3CX is $75 a month cheaper than HubSpot Service Hub ($75 a month on HubSpot Service Hub against $0 on 3CX), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only 3CX's figure comes under. HubSpot Service Hub and 3CX both include website chat in the price; only HubSpot Service Hub has email; only 3CX has WhatsApp. Neither HubSpot Service Hub nor 3CX includes Instagram and Telegram outright. Below, a third option for a team of two to ten that wants what HubSpot Service Hub and 3CX sell here at one price.

At a glanceHubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub3CX3CX
Built aroundThe CRM record · help desk on top of HubSpotPhone calls · a PBX with a chat widget
Entry plan$15/seat/mo · Starter, yearly$0 · SMB Free: up to 10 users
Chat in the price$0 · Free tools: chat with HubSpot branding$0 · live chat on the free tier
AI agent$9 per 1,000 credits · 50 credits per resolutionNone for chat · call transcription launching
Copilot for agentsBreeze · in the plansNone
Free planYes · 2 users, branded chatYes · up to 10 users, 3CX-hosted

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    HubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub

    As a ticket on the CRM contact, with every marketing and sales touch beside it. 3CX has no ticket queue behind its conversations.

    3CX3CX

    As a call, or as a chat that rings the same agent queue; there is no ticket behind it. HubSpot Service Hub raises a ticket where 3CX keeps a conversation.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    HubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub

    Starter is $15 a seat; Professional is $90 with a $1,500 onboarding fee, and that is where routing and SLAs start. $75 for five people, against $0 on 3CX.

    3CX3CX

    The licence is per system per year, sized by simultaneous calls, not per agent; the free tier covers ten users. $0 for five people, against $75 on HubSpot Service Hub.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    HubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub

    Customer Agent costs 50 credits per resolved conversation, and credits are $9 per 1,000, so about $0.45 a resolution. 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat) instead.

    3CX3CX

    No AI agent for chat. Call transcription and analytics are listed as launching soon. HubSpot Service Hub meters AI ($9 per 1,000 credits) above the seats instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    HubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub

    Chat, email and Messenger on the lower plans; WhatsApp and calling on Professional; no Telegram. email is here and not on 3CX.

    3CX3CX

    Voice, live chat, WhatsApp, Messenger and SMS through the phone system; no email queue. WhatsApp is here and not on HubSpot Service Hub.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    HubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub

    The rest of HubSpot: marketing, sales, CMS and the shared CRM. 3CX is a business phone system with live chat instead.

    3CX3CX

    The phone system itself: extensions, call queues, IVR, recordings and video meetings. HubSpot Service Hub is a CRM-based help desk instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    HubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub

    An afternoon on Starter; Professional comes with a paid onboarding. 3CX is a day for the phone system.

    3CX3CX

    A day for the phone system; minutes for the chat widget once the PBX is up. HubSpot Service Hub is an afternoon on Starter.

Sources: HubSpot Service Hub pricing · 3CX pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The HubSpot help desk workspace: the ticket with the CRM contact and its timeline
HubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub. The HubSpot help desk workspace: the ticket with the CRM contact and its timeline
The 3CX web client: the call queue with a live chat conversation in the same panel
3CX3CX. The 3CX web client: the call queue with a live chat conversation in the same panel

Pricing references: HubSpot Service Hub pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); 3CX pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

HubSpot Service Hub, 3CX and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureHubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub3CX3CXSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per seat; onboarding fees; AI by credits
Per system per year, by simultaneous calls
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
2 users, HubSpot branding
Up to 10 users, hosted by 3CX
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
All plans
Widget rings the agent queue
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
All plans
No email queue
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Professional and up
Through the phone system
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Messenger only
Messenger only
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not offered
Not offered
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack and Teams notifications
Internal 3CX chat only
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Customer Agent
None for chat
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
50 credits per resolution, $9 per 1,000
No AI agent to bill
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Creates a ticket
No AI to hand off from
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
On the CRM record
Calls and chats, no ticket queue
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Professional and up
Call flows, not support automations
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports; advanced on Professional
Call reports
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser and mobile
Windows and macOS apps
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick HubSpot Service Hub if

  • Your sales and marketing already live in HubSpot and support should share the CRM.
  • You want an AI agent priced per resolution at under a dollar.
  • You need email in the price, which 3CX does not include outright.
  • You need a ticket queue, which 3CX does not have.

Pick 3CX if

  • Phone is your main channel and you want chat and WhatsApp to ring the same agents.
  • You want a free tier for a small team that already needs a PBX.
  • Five people cost $75 a month less than on HubSpot Service Hub ($0 against $75), before AI.
  • You need WhatsApp in the price, which HubSpot Service Hub does not include outright.

The third option: Sellio

  • You are two to ten people on HubSpot Service Hub or 3CX who answer chat, messaging and email, and want to compare workspace pricing with $75 a month on HubSpot Service Hub against $0 on 3CX for five people.
  • You want the AI bill known before the month starts: HubSpot Service Hub meters AI ($9 per 1,000 credits) above the seats, 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat); Sellio includes a credit and lets you cap it.
  • You need Telegram, which neither HubSpot Service Hub nor 3CX includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

HubSpot Service Hub on Starter: $30, $75 and $150 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. 3CX: $0 a month for five (five users on the free tier); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $30 less than HubSpot Service Hub and more than 3CX's $0 for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $55 under HubSpot Service Hub.

Where the two agree, and where they split

HubSpot Service Hub is a CRM-based help desk built around the CRM record; 3CX is a business phone system with live chat built around phone calls. Both have a free plan: HubSpot Service Hub's is 2 users, branded chat, 3CX's is up to 10 users, 3CX-hosted. HubSpot Service Hub and 3CX both include website chat in the price; only HubSpot Service Hub has email; only 3CX has WhatsApp. Neither HubSpot Service Hub nor 3CX includes Instagram and Telegram outright. HubSpot Service Hub meters AI ($9 per 1,000 credits) above the seats; 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat). HubSpot Service Hub has tickets and 3CX does not, and only 3CX ships desktop apps. HubSpot Service Hub is an afternoon on Starter; 3CX is a day for the phone system.

What each price leaves out

HubSpot Service Hub: HubSpot Credits at $9 per 1,000; Customer Agent uses 50 credits per resolved conversation. 3CX: No AI agent for chat; call transcription and analytics are listed as launching soon. Beside HubSpot Service Hub's $9 per 1,000 credits and 3CX's none for chat, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    HubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub$0.45$212
    3CX3CXSee vendorNot quoted
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    HubSpot Service HubHubSpot Service Hub · Free tools, no trial clock
    3CX3CX · Free tier, no trial clock
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

HubSpot Service Hub vs 3CX: the questions people ask

HubSpot Service Hub is a CRM-based help desk built around the CRM record; 3CX is a business phone system with live chat built around phone calls. HubSpot Service Hub has tickets and 3CX does not, and only 3CX ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: HubSpot Service Hub $15/seat/mo (Starter, yearly); 3CX $0 (SMB Free: up to 10 users).
  • Chat in the price: HubSpot Service Hub $0 (Free tools: chat with HubSpot branding); 3CX $0 (live chat on the free tier).
  • Sellio's inbox: Instagram and Telegram, which neither HubSpot Service Hub nor 3CX has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside HubSpot Service Hub and 3CX on the same rows.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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